Reading Assessment: The Key to Science-Based Reading Instruction
Reading Assessments are a critical component to ensure equitable, evidence-based literacy instruction. Our reading measures provide quick, reliable insights into student literacy that accelerate student growth.
Reading experts and cognitive scientists agree on five core principles of instruction that help all students learn to read—including those with reading difficulties like dyslexia.
Our diagnostic reading assessments help teachers pinpoint the specific reading skills that students are struggling with so that they can target interventions to the five components of effective reading instruction.
Phonemic Awareness
Ability to identify language sounds
Phonics
Ability to connect speech sounds to letters and make them accessible by sight
Fluency
Ability to read text
Vocabulary
Ability to build, store, and retrieve words and background knowledge
Comprehension
Ability to deduct meaning from text
FastBridge combines Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT) and Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) to screen students, identify skill gaps, and offer proven recommendations for reading instruction and diagnostic reading interventions. That’s why many states have approved FastBridge for early reading and/or dyslexia screening.
Learn how FastBridge helps students become proficient readers.
aReading
Assesses broad reading ability and predicts overall reading achievement in concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, orthography, and morphology. aReading is aligned to the Lexile® Framework for Reading.
Universal Screening
Grades K-12
AUTOreading
Assesses accuracy and automaticity with phonics, spelling, and vocabulary skills.
Universal Screening & Progress Monitoring
Grades K-12
CBMreading
Assesses oral reading fluency with connected text.
Available in both English and Spanish
Universal Screening & Progress Monitoring
Grades 1-8
CBMcomp
An optional extension of CBMreading that assesses the students' ability to recall and retell information from passages of connected text.
Universal Screening & Progress Monitoring
Grades 1-8
COMPefficiency
Assesses the quality and efficiency of a student's reading comprehension.
Universal Screening & Progress Monitoring
Grades 2-8
earlyReading
Assesses early literacy skills through reading assessment subtests that measure accuracy and automaticity.
Available in both English and Spanish
Universal Screening & Progress Monitoring
Grades PreK-1
The Researchers
Dr. Ted Christ & Colleagues
FastBridge Reading Suite
Co-Founder of FastBridge, Professor of School Psychology,
University of Minnesota
Dr. Zoheb Borbora
aReading
Co-Founder of FastBridge
Dr. Scott Ardoin
earlyReading & CBMreading English
Professor of School Psychology,
University of Georgia
Dr. Tanya Eckert
aReading
Associate Professor of School Psychology,
Syracuse University
Dr. Lori Helman
earlyReading & CBMreading Spanish
Professor of Literacy Education,
University of Minnesota
Dr. Mary Jane White
FastBridge Reading Suite
Research Associate,
University of Minnesota
FastBridge offers teacher-led reading interventions to help move struggling students closer to grade-level goals. Our scripted, class-wide and small-group lesson plans make it easier for educators to teach core literacy skills by aligning directly to our diagnostic reading assessments. Each skills-based intervention is backed by the research of Dr. Ted Christ and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota.
Concepts of Print
Proficiency includes an understanding that English words are composed of letters, and sentences are composed of words.
Phonemic Awareness
Proficiency includes an understanding that there are individual sounds in words, and words can be split apart into their individual sounds.
Phonics
Proficiency includes an ability to connect speech sounds to letters and make them accessible by sight.
Fluency
Proficiency includes reading text accurately, automatically, and at a rate that allows comprehension.
Vocabulary
Proficiency includes an ability to build, store, and retrieve words and background knowledge.
Comprehension
Proficiency includes using phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary to understand written words and making sense of what one reads.
Infographic
The Principles of Effective Reading Instruction
Do you know what it takes for all students to become strong readers? Learn the essentials of effective, science-based reading instruction and structured literacy instruction.
PLAYBOOK
Putting the Science of Reading into Practice
Read expert advice on why reading assessment tools that identify the five critical components of reading and instruction grounded in the science of reading are crucial to addressing inequities and ensuring all students become strong readers.
Webinar
Profile in Reading Success: How SPPS Uses Reading Assessment Tools to Guide Instruction
See how educators in Saint Paul Public Schools (MN) use diagnostic reading assessment data to implement Tier 1 evidence-based instructional practices and interventions for struggling readers.
The best way to assess a student’s reading level is to conduct universal screening three times a year (e.g., fall, winter, spring) for the purpose of identifying students who may benefit from additional instructional support. The earlier a reading difficulty is identified, the easier and more effective it is to provide intervention. After identifying students not on track to meet reading benchmark goals, the screening data can be compared with other sources of information to plan instruction. As needed, additional screeners can be used to provide more specific information about student reading skills, or to get starting scores for progress monitoring.
A quality reading assessment should be grounded in the science of reading research to identify the specific literacy skills a student is struggling with and offer evidence-based recommendations on how to close skill gaps. Quality reading assessments should also be proven valid, reliable, and have multiple sources of high quality research indicating that they help teachers identify and solve reading problems that students have in schools.
Diagnostic: Diagnostic reading assessments pinpoint specific areas of need. FastBridge’s unique combination of CBMs and CATs of reading provide a comprehensive view of who is at risk and information about which literacy skills to focus on.
Formative: Formative reading assessments are conducted regularly during the school year. Two types of formative assessment are universal screening and progress monitoring. Screening helps teachers know each student’s current reading skills; progress monitoring shows whether reading intervention is working. Both screening and progress monitoring provide data to inform instruction that follows. FastBridge’s reading CBMs can be used for screening and progress monitoring.
Summative: Summative reading assessments certify that learning at the end of a specific period of instruction has occurred. Learn more about Illuminate Education’s summative assessments and reporting platform, DnA.
FastBridge’s reading assessments offer educators the most efficient way to assess reading skill gaps because our solution offers both CBMs and CATs. With FastBridge, teachers conduct screening with recommended reading assessments for each grade level. These include:
- Specific assessments students complete for universal screening.
- Pre-selected assessments that have the capacity to predict future student reading performance and indicate what type of reading instruction is needed
- User-friendly reports that allow teachers to view student scores and see recommended reading instruction plans.
- User-friendly reporting that allows teachers to view student scores and see recommended reading instruction plans.